SALT LAKE CITY — An assistant attorney general was killed in a downtown motorcycle crash Tuesday night.

Officials confirmed Wednesday that Peter "Rocky" Rognlie, 54, was killed when a car turned in front of him at about 900 South and 700 East. Rognlie was reportedly headed south and was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, according to Salt Lake City police.

The driver of the car was not injured in the accident.

Rognlie graduated from the University of Utah law school in 1983 and has worked as a prosecutor in Washington, Iron and Utah counties before working in private practice and then joining the State Attorney General's Office in 1999.

"Rocky was the perfect nickname for an attorney who gave his all in and outside the courtroom," said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. "He was a fierce advocate who handled some of the toughest criminal and civil cases in our office. We will miss him deeply."

Rognlie worked as chief of the office's civil rights section, enforced family support obligations for the Office of Recovery Services and prosecuted Internet predators and child pornographers for the attorney general's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

He was also a volunteer and donor at the Fourth Street Clinic and served as the liaison to the 3rd District Court and the Supreme Court's advisory committee on professionalism.

Wendy Leonard works as a reporter for the Deseret News, and while her daily duties are dictated by breaking news, she currently focuses on writing about issues involving health care, medicine and transportation. She began more ..